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Abstract A new concept of point-absorber wave energy converter (WEC) with a waterproof outer-floater and a built-in power take-off (BI-PTO) mechanism, named Dual-Resonance WEC (DR-WEC), is put forward and investigated by experiments and numerical simulations. The BI-PTO mechanism includes spring, sliding-mass and damping systems, where the spring system is the most complicated and should be designed specially. A 1:10 scale model is designed. The mechanical performance of the BI-PTO system is investigated by a bench test. The results have shown that the design is feasible, and the added inertia effect of the BI-PTO has a negative influence on the power output. The average mechanical efficiency of the BI-PTO is 65.8% with maximum up to 80.0%. The motion and power responses of the DR-WEC are studied by a wave tank experiment and a linear numerical model with corrected mechanical added mass and viscosity. The viscous added mass and damping correction coefficients are obtained by a free decay test. The good agreement between the experimental measurements and numerical simulations has indicated that the present numerical model with corrections is of enough accuracy and the effects of mooring system and other degree of freedoms on the heave motion and power responses can be ignored. Highlights • A new WEC with waterproof outer-floater and built-in PTO mechanism is put forward. • The spring system of the variable-parameter PTO mechanism is designed in detail. • The Dual-Resonance WEC was tested both on a special test bench and in a wave tank. • The mechanical property of the built-in PTO system is acquired. • The numerical model is validated in comparison with the experiment results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve a wider frequency range where the device has a larger capture width ratio, the performance of a heaving coaxial-cylinder wave energy converter is optimized through actively controlled generator damping and stiffness using a linear frequency domain model. The generator power take-off system is modeled as a damping-spring system, and the numerical model is validated against published results. The coupled dynamics of a two-body model is analyzed to search for the optimal generator damping and stiffness leading to maximal capture width ratio. The optimization process, which can be decoupled into two independent steps, leads to an improved performance of the device, with increased frequency bandwidth and better capture width ratio. The effects of water depth, mooring stiffness, and the dimensions of the WEC on the capture width ratio are also studied, and parameter values are identified which correspond to optimal performance of the device. • Extend a WEC's working band by actively controlled generator stiffness and damping. • Suggest use a non-stiff mooring line to optimize the WEC's power absorption. • Water depth is considered not very important in the optimization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]